Mathura clashes: Supreme Court refuses to order CBI probe

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to order CBI probe into the horrific violence in Mathura that killed two police officers including the Superintendent of Police and over two dozens squatters.

The court had on Monday agreed to hear a plea seeking direction to Samajwadi Party-led Uttar Pradesh government to recommend a CBI probe.

A plea was filed by lawyer and Delhi BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay.

Advocate Kamini Jaiswal, appearing for Upadhyay, had said "the evidences at the site are being destroyed after the violence. As per media reports, over 200 vehicles have been burnt".

29 people, including Mathura SP Mukul Dwivedi and SHO Santosh Kumar Yadav were killed in the clash between the police and encroachers that broke out in the city on June 2 when police tried to evict illegal occupants, believed to be of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, from Jawahar Bagh on Allahabad High Court orders.

Upadhyay in his plea had said the court may also take suo motu cognizance of the matter and direct the CBI enquiry, as "it is necessary to find out the truth, root cause of the incident and nexus among executive, legislature and the said group".

The plea also claimed the union government was ready for a CBI inquiry into the incident but Uttar Pradesh government was developing cold feet in recommending CBI probe.

So far, 45 cases have been registered against 3,000 encroachers belonging to a cult - Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi - an outfit that claimed to owe allegiance to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.